. Anecdotal Lincoln : speeches, stories and yarns of the "Immortal Abe" .... kly recovers himself, rises as if nothing had hap-pened (he really sprains his ankle, unfelt then)—andthe fi-gure. Booth, the murderer, dressed in plain blackbroadcloth, bareheaded, with a full head of glossy,raven hair, and his eyes, like some mad animals, flash-ing with light and resolution, yet with a certain strangecalmness, holds aloft in one hand a large knife—walksalong not much back of the footlights—turns fullytowards the audience his face of statuesque beauty, litby those basilisk eyes, flashing with despera
. Anecdotal Lincoln : speeches, stories and yarns of the "Immortal Abe" .... kly recovers himself, rises as if nothing had hap-pened (he really sprains his ankle, unfelt then)—andthe fi-gure. Booth, the murderer, dressed in plain blackbroadcloth, bareheaded, with a full head of glossy,raven hair, and his eyes, like some mad animals, flash-ing with light and resolution, yet with a certain strangecalmness, holds aloft in one hand a large knife—walksalong not much back of the footlights—turns fullytowards the audience his face of statuesque beauty, litby those basilisk eyes, flashing with desperation, per-haps insanity—launches out in a firm and steady voicethe words, Sic semper tyrannis—and then walks 342 STORIES AND INCIDENTS. with neither slow nor very rapid pace diagonally acrossto the back of the stage, and disappears. (Had not all this terrible scene—making the mimicones preposterous—had it not all been rehearsed, inblank, by Booth, beforehand?) A moments hush, incredulous—a scream—a cry ofmurder—Mrs. Lincoln leaning out of the box, with. LINCOLN S DEATH. ashy cheeks and lips, with involuntary cry, pointing tothe retreating figure, He has killed the President!And still a moments strange, incredulous suspense—and then the deluge!—then that mixture of horror,noises, uncertainty—the sound, somewhere back, of ahorses hoofs clattering with speed—the people burstthrough chairs and railings, and break them up—thatnoise adds to the queerness of the scene—there is STORIES AND INCIDENTS. 243 inextricable confusion and terror—women faint—quitefeeble persons fall, and are trampled on—many criesof agony are heard—the broad stage suddenly fills tosuffocation with a dense and motley crowd, like somehorrible carnival—the audience rush generally upon it—at least the strong men do—the actors and actressesare there in their play costumes and painted faces,with mortal fright showing through the rouge—sometrembling, some in tears—the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectlincoln, bookyear1900
